Purchasing Procedures

All UCSB purchase orders are placed through Gateway, the campus online purchasing system. For detailed information on how to place MRL orders in Gateway, please see our Gateway FAQ page.

Some purchase orders require additional paperwork and review. These include the following:

Equipment orders: For efficient processing of equipment orders, please attach a copy of the quote from the supplier to the Gateway Requisition. Please make sure to note any special delivery instructions.

If your order is $3,499.99 or above and will be on a federal funding source, the Source Selection and Price Reasonableness Form must be completed. This form is required to substantiate the appropriateness of source selection and price reasonableness in compliance with Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR). If “Sole Source” is selected on the checklist as the basis for the supplier selection, please complete the second page of the form and provide a detailed explanation for why it is necessary to place the order with a specific supplier.

If your order is $100,000 or above,the Source Selection and Price Reasonableness Form must be completed in full. Orders above $100,000 will be competitively bid unless sufficient justification for the supplier selection is provided.

If your order is for a restricted item, please note this on your Gateway Requisition. Orders for restricted items require additional review by EH&S and/or Purchasing.

If your order is for a recurring service, please complete the Vendor Blanket Form located on the Gateway home page.

Packing Slips:

If your package is shipped to the MRL, we will notify you when it arrives. Please leave packing slips for all MRL orders in the tray above the counter in MRL 2046. When you receive your shipment, please sign and date the packing slip. If there is any problem with your order (incomplete, damaged, wrong item ordered), please write this on the packing slip, or add a comment to the PO in Gateway to alert the MRL staff member responsible for your order. We require a signed packing slip indicating that the order is complete and authorizing payment for our files, and we must know of any changes to the original order to pay invoices.

FlexCard Orders:

The MRL staff has a UCSB FlexCard credit card that is available in limited circumstances when you need to place an order with a supplier who does not accept purchase orders. To request a FlexCard order, please discuss the order with the MRL Purchasing Coordinator mary [at] mrl [dot] ucsb [dot] edu (Mary McGuan). Then please complete the FlexCard Authorization Form on the Gateway home page.

Expense reimbursements:

All purchases should be processed using a purchase order number. In an emergency or for other special circumstances, you may pay for the supplies personally and then be reimbursed. Submit the original, itemized receipt with the completed Expense Reimbursement Requestform with your PIs signature.